Six Flags Passes, Please Increase Price

I am a younger coaster enthusiast, only 14. I know people from my school who have a SFWOA pass and just go to 'hang out'

They ride the rides, yes, but they also write their names in the queues, spill drink, litter, etc. Their parents drop them off, and pick them up.

Babysitting.

The passes were only $42.95 until a week or so ago. Do you realize how many parents bought their kids passes, just so they could use the park as a babysitter. TONS.

If SF raised the price to at least $65.00, the people who buy they just to go hang out at the park would no longer buy them. But, coaster buffs, and true park enthusiasts would still purchase passes. This would make the park full of coaster addicts, and not trouble making kids.

Do you think SF should do this?
ShiveringTim's avatar
From an enthusiast standpoint I kind of agree, but from a business standpoint why would they want to get rid of guests in their primary demographic? Here's why the smaller Six Flags parks have low season pass prices. Once you're in the gate, essentially for free, you're more willing to spend more at games, food stands, etc. They don't make money off the rides, they make it off the other stuff. As much as I hate to say it, the park thrives off the teenage crowds willing to drop $3 on a milk can toss or $25 on a Skycoaster. On the other hand, this will probably change a little here at SFWoA with the acquisition of SWO. Hopefully we'll see a family oriented marketing campaign that is reflected in the park itself.

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Scott W. Short
scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com
Are you crazy man I need that 42.95 price see listen here. I lived in cleveland my whole life and last year we moved to California. Luckily i was one the first couple of people who bought a Season pass. I was so glad i did becuase when i move out here to Santa Clarita,(Home of Magic Mountain) the season pass price is 80.00 dollars!
So please dont raise that price i need that 42.95 to thrive out here.
Quite Honestly Six Flags, the fact that most people are willing to pay more money for a season pass is a good enough reason to raise prices.

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X-Flight @SFWoA!
This flight won't be cancelled!
SFGAm had 80.00 season passesw but there is some deal that if you had one last year you get it for like 45.00 this year!!!

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Six Flags Great America #1 Park!!! AOL Im ScreenName : RollrCoastr00
If the security & park staff is doing their job... keeping the park clean & safe from rowdy guests, there shouldn't be anybody worrying about litter, graffiti, or trouble.

The price is right. $45 for a season pass. I am willing to pay that, because the park is still screwing me with $7 parking!!

A park will remain a family friendly environment as long as the staff is well trained and keeps a keen eye out for troublemakers.
He's right though. The same problem happens at SFNE. If they raised the price, none of those juveniles would be there. Only the enthusiasts would go.
Jeff's avatar
I think you have to look at how other parks handle the situation, and where they make their money. Six Flags has a low gate, but in-park spending will kill you. They also sponsor everything they can.

Compare to Cedar Point or Busch Gardens where the gate is high, and in-park spending is moderate.

Personally, I like the latter model myself because it does cut down on babysitting (kids are better behaved if their parents are somewhere in the park), and if I can show a family a good time, I've got far more money coming in on return visits.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
Amen Dawg Byte!!
For examply Silver Dollar City (a Silver Dollar Company park) and Worlds of Fun (a Cedar Fair park) are noticably cleaner and have friendlier staff then a certain Six Flags park that is relatively close. The wife and I personally observed a group of four teenagers get escourted out of WoF for cursing in line for Detonator at WoF and the four people groaned and moaned about how they paid good money to get into the park and the employees explained to them that purchasing a ticket did not give them the right to use offensive language around the other guests. Those of us in line whom witnessed all this broke out into applause as security showed up and led the four away.
It just seems that SF does not put the same emphasis on cracking down on line-jumpers, graffiti artists, potty mouths, etc that other parks do or at least not when I am visiting. I would be happy if SF just did away with giving basketballs as prizes for the games and started enforcing their no line jumping rules:) *** This post was edited by Jimbo on 2/18/2001. ***
Where have you heard about SFGreatAmerica renewals? I'd love to know when I can renew my pass for just $45. . .I think it's all a scam! ;)
Well. You cant really compare a six Flags park to a cedar fair or bush. First Six Flags is huge and they dont care what really is happening. eg Elicth Gardens. i feel so sorry for them too. But Cedar Fair which is a lot smaller the SF can keep better track of whats going on.
Did they send out the renewal forms and booklets for SFGAm????

I hope so, then I can renew mine and get more excited for opening day.:)
A sfgadv season pass costs $69.99. On top of that, parking is 10$ and the food is outrageously overpriced. I am willing to pay for this though (pass) because entry is 46.99 for one day adult (plus safari). I hope they dont raise the prices due to Nitro.

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Nitro - The Next Sphere Of Thrills!!:)
Yeah, SFGAm isn't exactly winning my heart over again with their season pass mailings. Last year, I got the brocure while I was on spring break at IOA. This year, they haven't even formerly announced (or started contruction on) their new coasters.

About babysitting, yes, they do it, and no, it really shouldn't be a problem, but some kids just act like jerks. The parks should all adopt a no-nonsense security policy, that would result in suspension (or revoking) of a season pass if idiotic behavior is detected. I was sick of the unsupervised kids cutting in line, spitting, or (in one case) setting off a stink bomb in Batman: The Ride's queue.

Problem is, the park really isn't babysitting them. To be babysat, you must have some kind of supervision, and many of the parks (SFGAm included) look the other way while people cut in line or put gum where it shouldn't be put (i.e. on B:TR's chairs... The op didn't seem to care, either.)

This happens to me all the time, and I feel like no one tries to do anything to calm them. They really should put security cameras everywhere. Wouldn't bother me. I'm not doing anything wrong.

Lastly, I think high admission prices would stop this. The lower the prices go, the more kids will just come into the parks to be morons, and the less fun the rest of us will have.

Might I suggest... A season pass costing around $150, but including severly reduced prices for food/free parking? That might drive away some of the problem, while offering a solution to some others.
* Some of us are on a budget here... and the more you raise the prices of admission (season pass or day pass), the less people are willing to give in to purchasing a pass, meaning:
a) Lower attendance,
b) Less cars for parking admission to park in the lot,
c) Less money spent purchasing food & games at the park.
d) Less money spent on souvineers.

* It's all a domino effect, people.
If the price is right, people are willing to spend more of that extra money on what the park wants you to spend it on... food, souvineers, park photos, & games!

* If I got to pay over 100 beans for a seaon pass for myself (not to mention a 2nd one for my lil' brother, making that over 200 dollars!), then I'm going to be more likely to bring my own lunch, forgo the games, and rip off the park anyway I can because I'll want to get my money's worth!

The point is...
We as park guests can take control. We don't have to just observe everything that is wrong with roudy guests and hope that security will catch them. If it's within reason & there's full justification, we can retain a disruptive park guest until the proper security can take diciplinary action. It's not that hard. I am pretty sure you'd have other guests to back you up at that. They're just afraid to take that first step.

I know I remember times when I saw a line jumper, or someone just using non-stop profanity. Unfortunately, they were much further ahead of the line than I was, but this isn't taking the law into your own hands... it's just protecting yourself & others from any potential harm.
I agree that season pass admission prices shouldn't be increased. I paid $54 dollars for my pass at SFA and I think it's an excellent value. I get to go to a local park multiple times and visit other Six Flag parks for free minus parking etc. I do agree that some people use themeparks as babysitters, but this is a social problem that probably won't be solved by anyone on Coasterbuzz. As for the graffiti problem, it happens at almost every park. I hate to bring up Cedar Point again, but the Millennium Force queue area was trashed, and it's not even a year old. Ignorance is global. I think the best solution to graffiti is what Hersheypark has. They have fiberglass wood-looking queue fence that can be sanded down if someone tags it.
slithernoggin's avatar

Flds said:
"Well. You cant really compare a six Flags park to a cedar fair or bush. First Six Flags is huge and they dont care what really is happening. eg Elicth Gardens. i feel so sorry for them too. But Cedar Fair which is a lot smaller the SF can keep better track of whats going on.
"



You make it sound like there's an office somewhere monitoring all the Six Flags parks security. Security is run at the park level. If the park management doesn't place a priority on it, it doesn't matter what size the park is.
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LIfe is something that happens when you can't get to sleep.
--Fran Lebowitz
The thing with SF though, they only have security staff. That could be one reason for it. CP has an actual sanctioned police force. If SF adopted this policy, they would'nt have to worry about this stuff, so the price increase you want, would'nt be necisary for those reasons.

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MF Drops-15
SOB Rides-2

Mongoose said:
"I am a younger coaster enthusiast, only 14. I know people from my school who have a SFWOA pass and just go to 'hang out'

They ride the rides, yes, but they also write their names in the queues, spill drink, litter, etc. Their parents drop them off, and pick them up.

Six Flags GADV tickets have always been high. Kind of comes with the territory yet, we have the same problem here. You see it is a matter of economics for the parents. They don't want their kids hanging around the house all day, so because the park admission is so high it is a small price to pay to let them go to the park every day and hang out.
Yes it does bother people who want to enjoy the park but, there is no simple answer because you are now speaking of the parks bread and butter. No pass sales no park it is about that simple. Oh I forgot to mention the charity donations at GADV on any given summer day needy inner city kids from NY and Philly are bussed to the park for the day. No supervision just turned loose.



Babysitting.

The passes were only $42.95 until a week or so ago. Do you realize how many parents bought their kids passes, just so they could use the park as a babysitter. TONS.

If SF raised the price to at least $65.00, the people who buy they just to go hang out at the park would no longer buy them. But, coaster buffs, and true park enthusiasts would still purchase passes. This would make the park full of coaster addicts, and not trouble making kids.

Do you think SF should do this?"

I think that they should raise the price because then none of the juveniles would be there. Also, that would mean shorter lines for the rest of us!

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